A postal history of the First World War in Africa and its aftermath – German colonies III Deutsch-Südwestafrika (SWA) Ton Dietz ASC Working Paper 118 / 2015 1 Prof. Ton Dietz Director African Studies Centre Leiden [email protected] African Studies Centre P.O. Box 9555 2300 RB Leiden The Netherlands Telephone +31-71-5273372 Fax +31-71-5273344 E-mail [email protected] Website http://www.ascleiden.nl Facebook www.facebook.nl/ascleiden Twitter www.twitter.com/ascleiden Ton Dietz, 2015 2 A postal history of the First World War in Africa and its aftermath Ton Dietz, African Studies Centre Leiden; [email protected] WORK IN PROGRESS, SUGGESTIONS WELCOME German Colonies III Deutsch-Südwestafrika (SWA) Version February 2015 Table of contents Introduction 2 German postal services in SWA, Vorläufer, (1849-) 1888-1897 (-1901) 7 Stamps of SWA, 1897-1914 13 Post offices with their own cancellations, 1897-1914 18 The military campaigns before 1914 (1903-1907 during the Bondelzwarts, Herero and Nama Wars 72 SWA during the First World War, 1914-1919 80 After the War 94 References 102 3 Introduction Wikipedia, English version (22/2/2015) “German South-West Africa campaign, 1914–1915 German South-West Africa, 1915 An invasion of German South-West Africa from the south failed at the Battle of Sandfontein (25 September 1914), close to the border with the Cape Colony. German fusiliers inflicted a serious defeat on the British troops and the survivors returned to British territory. The Germans began an invasion of South Africa to forestall another invasion attempt and the Battle of Kakamas took place on 4 February 1915, between South African and German forces, a skirmish for control of two river fords over the Orange River. The South Africans prevented the Germans from gaining control of the fords and crossing the river. By February 1915, the South Africans were ready to occupy German territory. Botha put Smuts in command of the southern forces while he commanded the northern forces. Botha arrived at Swakopmund on 11 February and continued to build up his invasion force at Walfish Bay (or Walvis Bay), a South African enclave about halfway along the coast of German South West Africa. In March Botha began an advance from Swakopmund along the Swakop valley with its railway line and captured Otjimbingwe, Karibib, Friedrichsfelde, Wilhelmsthal and Okahandja and then entered Windhuk on 5 May 1915. The Germans offered surrender terms, which were rejected by Botha and the war continued. On 12 May Botha declared martial law and divided his forces into four contingents, which cut off German forces in the interior from the coastal regions of Kunene and Kaokoveld and fanned out into the north-east. Lukin went along the railway line from Swakopmund to Tsumeb. The other two columns rapidly advanced on the right flank, Myburgh to Otavi junction and Manie Botha to Tsumeb and the terminus of the railway. 4 German forces in the north-west fought the Battle of Otavi on 1 July but were defeated and surrendered at Khorab on 9 July 1915. In the south, Smuts landed at the South West African naval base atLuderitzbucht, then advanced inland and captured Keetmanshoop on 20 May. The South Africans linked with two columns which had advanced over the border from South Africa. Smuts advanced north along the railway line to Berseba and on 26 May, after two day's fighting captured Gibeon. The Germans in the south were forced to retreat northwards towards Windhuk and Botha's force. On 9 July the German forces in the south surrendered (Maritz Rebellion, 1914–1915) General Koos de la Rey, under the influence of Siener van Rensburg a "crazed seer", believed that the outbreak of war foreshadowed the return of the republic but was persuaded by Botha and Smuts on 13 August not to rebel and on 15 August told his supporters to disperse. At a congress on 26 August De la Rey claimed loyalty to South Africa, not Britain or Germany. The Commandant-General of the Union Defence Force, Brigadier-General Christiaan Frederick Beyers opposed the war and with the other rebels, resigned his commission on 15 September. General Koos de la Rey joined Beyers and on 15 September they visited Major JCG (Jan) Kemp in Potchefstroom, who had a large armoury and a force of 2,000 men, many of whom were thought to be sympathetic. The South African government believed it to be an attempt to instigate a rebellion, Beyers claimed that it was to discuss plans for a simultaneous resignation of leading army officers, similar to the Curragh incident in Britain. During the afternoon De la Rey was mistakenly shot and killed by a policeman, at a road block set up to look for the Foster gang and many Afrikaners believed that De la Rey had been assassinated. After the funeral the rebels condemned the war but when Botha asked them to volunteer for military service in South-West Africa they accepted. Maritz, at the head of a commando of Union forces on the border of German South-West Africa, allied with the Germans on 7 October and issued a proclamation on behalf of a provisional government and declared war on the British on 9 October. Generals Beyers, De Wet, Maritz, Kemp and Bezuidenhout were to be the first leaders of a new South African Republic. Maritz occupied Keimoes in the Upington area. The Lydenburg commando under General De Wet took possession of the town of Heilbron, held up a train and captured government stores and ammunition. By the end of the week De Wet had a force of 3,000 men and Beyers had gathered c. 7,000 more in the Magaliesberg. General Louis Botha had c. 30,000 pro-government troops. The government declared martial law on 12 October and loyalists under General Louis Botha and Jan Smuts repressed the uprising. Maritz was defeated on 24 October and took refuge with the Germans, the Beyers commando was dispersed at Commissioners Drift on 28 October, after which Beyers joined forces with Kemp and then was drowned in the Vaal River on 8 December. De Wet was captured in Bechuanaland on 2 December and Kemp, having crossed the Kalahari desert and lost 300 of 800 men and most of their horses on the 1,100-kilometre (680 mi) journey, joined Maritz in German South-West Africa and attacked across the Orange river on 22 December. Maritz advanced south again on 13 January 1915 and attacked Upington on 24 January and most of the rebels surrendered on 30 January. (German invasion of Angola, 1914–1915) The campaign in southern Portuguese West Africa (modern- day Angola) took place from October 1914 – July 1915. Portuguese forces in southern Angola were 5 reinforced by a military expedition led by Lieutenant-Colonel Alves Roçadas, which arrived at Moçâmedes on 1 October 1914. After the loss of the wireless transmitter at Kamina in Togoland, German forces in South-West Africa could not communicate easily and until July 1915 the Germans did not know if Germany and Portugal were at war (war was declared by Germany on 9 March 1916.). On 19 October 1914, an incident occurred in which fifteen Germans entered Angola without permission and were arrested at fort Naulila and in a mêlée three Germans were killed by Portuguese troops. On 31 October, German troops armed with machine-guns launched a surprise attack, which became known as the Cuangar Massacre on the small Portuguese outpost at Cuangar and killed eight soldiers and a civilian. On 18 December a German force of 500 men under the command of Major Victor Franke attacked Portuguese forces at Naulila. A German shell detonated the munitions magazine at Forte Roçadas and the Portuguese were forced to withdraw from the Ovambo region to Humbe, with 69 dead, 76 wounded, and 79 troops taken prisoner. The Germans lost 12 soldiers killed and 30 wounded. Local civilians collected Portuguese weapons and rose against the colonial regime. On 7 July 1915, Portuguese forces under the command of General Pereira d'Eça reoccupied the Humbe region and conducted a reign of terror against the population. The Germans retired to the south with the northern border secure during the uprising in Ovambo, which distracted Portuguese forces from operations further south. Two days later German forces in South West Africa surrendered, ending the South-West Africa Campaign.” According to http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/deutsche-kolonien.htm: 8. April 1884 Adolf Lüderitz reicht dem Auswärtigen Amt ein Gesuch um Schutzgewährung für seine Erwerbungen in Südwestafrika ein. 24. April 1884 Die Besitzungen des Kaufmanns Lüderitz nördlich vom Oranjefluss in Südwestafrika "werden unter deutschen Schutz gestellt". Bismarck teilt dieses telegrafisch dem deutschen Konsul in Kapstadt und brieflich dem deutschen Botschafter in London mit. 7. August 1884 Von dem Kapitän zur See Herbig wird in Anwesenheit von Offizieren und Mannschaften der Korvette S.M.S. Elisabeth in Angra Pequena, das zunächst nur aus drei der Firma Lüderitz gehörenden Blockhäusern besteht, die deutsche Flagge gehisst. Das Gebiet erstreckt sich von dem Nordufer des Oranjeflusses bis zu 26 Grad rechte auf und beschränkt die Tätigkeit der Gesellschaft auf ihren eigenen Farmbetrieb. Die Geschichte dieser ersten kolonialen Siedlungsgesellschaft ist bezeichnend für das geringe Interesse der Deutschen; um 200 000 Mark Kapital zusammenzubringen, brauchte es zwei Jahre Zeit. 6 In Angra Peguena, der späteren Lüderitzbucht, wird die deutsche Flagge gehisst.” http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/deutsche-kolonien.htm http://www.deutsche-schutzgebiete.de/deutsche-kolonien.htm Amtszeit Name Lebensdaten Dr. Heinrich Ernst Göring, 5/1885 - 8/1890 Reichskommissar, späterer 1839 - 1913 Landeshauptmann 8/1890 - 3/1891 Louis Nels (stellvertretend) 1855 - 1910 3/1891 - Hauptmann Curt von François, 1852 - 1931 15.03.1894 späterer Landeshauptmann Major Theodor von Leutwein, 15.03.1894 - Landeshauptmann, ab 1898 1849 - 1921 19.08.1905 Gouverneur 7 19.08.1905 - Lothar von Trotha (stellvertretend) 1848 - 1920 11/1905 11/1905 - Friedrich von Lindequist, 1862 - 1945 20.05.1907 Gouverneur 20.05.1907 - Bruno von Schuckmann, 1857 - 1919 20.06.1910 Gouverneur 28.08.1910 - Dr.